President of the Beef Shorthorn Cattle Society during the last two World Conferences – in Australia and Canada – Major John Gibb, Glen Isla Estate, Blairgowrie, Perthshire is one of the host farmers in Scotland this year.

Taking the overall championship at the ANM, Ledingham Chalmers sponsored Young Farmers’ Overwintering Contest, and beating a large and strong entry, was Balfour Baillie of Sebay Cottage, Tankerness, Orkney.

With debate and chat about The Pack Report, presently not far from every farmer’s lips, Bruce Dixon, who farms 1300 acres just north of Lochgilphead, feels that the Single Farm Payment should be rebased on 2009.

Shancastle purchased the 30 head pedigree herd of Galloway cattle from Marbrack a decade ago this week. Ten years on they have almost trebled numbers of pure breds and are successfully crossing commercially.

Scottish Blonde Secretary and a member of the Publicity and Promotion sub committee – Sheena Kennedy – who farms with her husband and two sons in Ayrshire, hopes to raise the profile and marketing of British Blonde Cattle in Scotland as well as attaining a ‘clean club’ high health status.

Expat – Christiane Schmidt – who now farms Highland Cattle on 404ha near Whanganui in the North Island, New Zealand, may be a relative newcomer to the farming industry but she has brought an innovative approach to marketing her hairy product.

With reduced labour on farms, farmers are making an effort to attend events that add value to their businesses – this was proof positive at the recent SAC Beef Open Day at Castle Douglas, where farmers were out in force.
Four beef industry icons and two local vets – Graeme Bell and John Stroat – led the talks and discussions at the SAC Beef Animal Health and Welfare Open Day at Donald Biggar’s Corbieton Farm, Castle Douglas recently.